Bad weather hurts Legion team in tournament loss

Game takes three days to complete

By: Rudy Brandl
   It took three days and one severe rainstorm to knock out Hillsborough from the American Legion Pyramid League baseball playoffs.
   Hillsborough suffered an agonizing elimination loss to Skillman in a game that took five days to complete. After the teams played to a 4-4 tie through eight innings July 17, the game was suspended. Skillman scored twice during a rain-soaked top of the ninth inning when play resumed last Thursday. Play was stopped again until Saturday, when Hillsborough was unable to answer and dropped a 6-4 game.
   "We should have never played (Thursday)," Hillsborough manager Jim Schwalje said. "It was pouring and the kids couldn’t grip the ball."
   The rains came just moments after action resumed with Skillman batting in the top of the ninth. Hillsborough pitcher Ron Guido had trouble finding the plate in the horrible conditions. By the time the umpires decided to stop the game, Skillman had scored two cheap runs on walks and wild pitches to take the lead.
   "It wasn’t Ron’s fault, it wasn’t fair to him," Schwalje said. "It wasn’t just rain, it was pouring. There were puddles on the field. It came down harder and harder. It was beyond playable."
   Skillman still had runners on first and second with one out when the game began its third day of play Saturday night at Hillsborough High. Ryan Lukach took over on the mound and escaped the jam without further damage, but Hillsborough could not score in the bottom of the ninth.
   Mike Hansford created a little excitement with a booming double to deep center field to start the inning but he was stranded on the bases. Hillsborough’s season ended when Ricky Schwalje lined out to third base.
   Hillsborough came within a game of advancing to the tournament finals vs. Ridge. The Raiders raced to a 3-0 lead after one inning and were still clinging to a 4-3 advantage before Skillman forced extra innings with a two-out hit in the top of the seventh. The teams managed to complete a scoreless eighth inning before darkness forced suspension of the game.
   The Raiders gave starting pitcher Matt Mosko a three-run cushion in the bottom of the first. Guido and Hansford singled and scored on a double by Lukach. Justin Kessler made it 3-0 with a two-run double.
   Skillman chipped away with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth but Hillsborough added one in the fourth. Bobby Peck walked, stole second and scored on a two-out hit by Lukach.
   Hillsborough had opened the double elimination tourney with a sloppy loss to Ridge, which continued moving through the winner’s bracket to enter the final series undefeated. Hillsborough stayed in the hunt with a thrilling victory over Immaculata and needed to beat Skillman to get another shot at Ridge. Hillsborough would have needed to defeat Ridge twice to win the tournament.